


Operation: Shattered Diamond

by Thepresidentofrussia23



Series: The Diamond Series [2]
Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Cobra Kai (Web Series) RPF, Karate Kid (Movies), Karate Kid (Movies) RPF
Genre: Anger, Blood, Blood and Gore, Depression, Everyone Is Gay, Gay Male Character, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Men Crying, Night Terrors, Pain, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Revenge, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Sobbing, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-04-23 18:31:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19156582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thepresidentofrussia23/pseuds/Thepresidentofrussia23





	1. The wheels of Justice are slow

I stood before the gray FBI bulding, It blended perfectly in with the grim mood and the graying skies and the trees failed to uplift the spirit at all. I wiped away tears for the hundredth time and sighed. I had been forced onto a week of leave, pending investigation because I had been in a officer-involved shooting and that entire week was filled with therapy sessions and counseling in order to ease out the trauma, but I only gave them very little to work with and I knew how therapists worked as I had studied a year of psychology, those people were absolute fools to even try and save a dead man like me. I should have been dead, not my friend Jeff, Jeff lay there, dying in his own pool of blood, giving his life for me and Robby Keene. I made sure Keene never saw the body, but that day was a bunch of bits and pieces and I could barely tell what happened after Jeff had been shot, it all felt like a hazy blur the moment I ordered Keene to hide for his life, all I could think of was the look of eternal gratitude on my cousin Johnny's face when he sat next to me and thanked me over and over for saving his son, clearly he still loved his son despite their strained relationship, It was my mere observation from that fact. I sighed and tightened my tie and straigented it and clipped it down with a tie bar, my boss was going to determine whether or not I could be cleared for field duty since I had been forced back from Reseda a week ago. The ticking of the clock felt like a death knell, like all my career came down to was a few minutes and some words that could save or destroy me in the end. My heart pounded in my chest like a mallet pounding a drum, I had to stay calm at all costs, it all came down to this, whether I could put my plan into place or not. Lives were at stake and people were in danger, heck, bystanders could be in danger, we were forced to move two students to a far away location with new identities when one of then had survived the attempted murder and the other was related to the survivor. We knew that Xander could become collateral damage if we didn't move him out of Reseda as well. The secretary looked bored and the walls were bland, I twirled my thumbs and pushed in my glasses and made sure my wild hair was gelled and combed down for a much cleaner and professional look. They would most likely scrutinize my appearance and boil it down to how I could handle myself under the microscope, and how I would handle myself at trial, I have done dozens of trials before as expert witness, but something told me, this trial would be very, very different than the ones I have experienced elsewhere, this was going to be a media circus that would make O.J Simpson's trial seem forgotten in comparison. I was called into the board room and I saw my boss and several other upper members of the CIA, FBI and the DEA were all there, my senses sharpened immediately and I could see a purple glow to them and I wanted to take a step back, take a few lungful of oxygen, I thought the powers had gone away since the concussion in L.A. Clearly this had not been the case at all, there was so much at work here that I was clearly not aware of. Suddenly one of them broke through my thoughts "Dr. LaRusso-Lawrence, tell us why should we not take your gun and badge and set you on desk duty here in Quantico permanently?" I sighed and replied "Because, time is ticking, lives are at stake and taking away my ability to save those lives, transfers the blame to you all. I am the one, alongside Jeff and countless other agents and officers who cracked the case of the Black Swan, I know where they will strike next and they will strike at a worldwide, public event, this is a level four credible threat, I just received a death threat from them, they aren't after me, they are after the karate athletes that go into the Olympic village and they will make the massacre in Munich seem like a trailer to this upcoming massacre." I handed them the note and they huddled in and told me "You may leave the room, we will debilitate this for now." I had studied the terror group Black September and what they had done, they took eleven members of the Israeli team hostage and killed them and a West Berlin police officer. The details of the hostage rescue were horrific and disastrous, I would do whatever it took to prevent something like that ever happening again, I didn't trust the Spetsnaz since the Beslan School incident, I didn't know if they had improved or gotten stronger or more skilled since the tragedy, all I could do was continue my research and hope against all odds, I would be allowed to remain a Special Field Agent. The door opened and I was let in and the director of the FBI told me "You will remain on as SFA with your gun and badge, however, ONE fuck up, that's all it takes, one fuck up and you are gone. Got it?" I understood the weight behind her words and I shook her hand and I left the building, that building felt like a tomb, a graveyard to my career in some ways than one. I exhaled in relief, I was so numb at my feet, I almost felt like fainting, it was exhausting after seven hours of interrogation and investigation, I was able to stay on, but I had a sword above my head and it was a threat all right to stay in my lane.   
.............................................................................................................................  
The divorce papers were laid out before me, my soon to be ex-wife Amanda crisply looked at me with an iciness that I had never seen from her since I had opened up about Ali Mills and I hated that look, but I no longer cared. All feelings for her died since Anthony was born, I no longer looked forward to seeing her or her face. I dreaded hearing her screechy and whiny voice complaining over what I had done for the day, I didn't want her in my life anymore, I needed her out of my life as soon as possible, I hated even getting married to her. I was forced to get married to her because my mom had insisted on me getting married to her after I graduated with my M.B.A in accounting and business ownership and I was still single, I resented my mother for forcing me into a relationship devoid of love and affection. Amanda and I dated only six times before my mom demanded me to put a ring on it or break up with her, I decided to propose to her and she accepted with tears in her eyes, I don't even think she sincerely wanted to marry me either, our relationship was built on lies and secrets, I was bisexual, I loved both genders and I didn't care what the gender was, as long as they had a good personality, the moment I met Johnny again at the dealership was an awkward one, he wanted to escape and I suppose my presence didn't help much either. But when Amanda forced me to give him a car after my cousin and Anoush torched his Firebird, I started falling in love with him in the friendship way, it was a month later that we started kissing and sharing clothes and sleeping together and yet, we had yet to make love, our relationship was at our pace and desires, it was how I wanted it to be, and the moment I found out he was in a bus crash, I dashed out of the board room filled with stakeholders and investors and I grabbed my car and drove just under the speed limit and I saw ambulances and their victims were being unloaded into the E.R and doctors were shouting left and right, I saw Johnny lying in the stretcher and my world froze at that moment, I already had lost my daughter, I couldn't lose him as well. I saw doctors and nurses shout for the De-Fib when his heart stopped, I felt my heart stop as well too and for two minutes, Johnny Lawrence was clinically dead, they kept shocking him and with their final attempt, he came back. I could feel the rush of relief when he came back...I knew then, I couldn't lose him again, not after what we had went through, I pulled out a velvet box containing a gold wedding band with a blue stone and diamonds flanking it. I would propose to him when he fully recovered, I would not let such a event come between us again.


	2. I aspire to be the best!

Miguel woke up as the alarm blared at four in the morning, it was training time and it would be with Sensei LaRusso, he was excited to get to know and perhaps combine the art of MiYagi Do and Cobra Kai, his boyfriend would also be there as well and they both were going to try and qualify for the Olympics. Both young men changed out of their street clothes and into their gi in the pool house and when Miguel caught sight of Robby's chest, the younger boy flushed pink and tried to look away, but Robby pulled him in for a deep kiss and they savored it for as long as they could before Daniel hollered for them to hurry up. They entered the traning facility of UCLA and they both started with a few katas for warming up their muscles since they hadn't sparred since two days ago. Miguel breathed a sigh of relief, that Robbie was alive and in front of him, he couldn't imagine his life without the son of his sensei. Miguel had to do so many excercises and stretches and his muscles were growing loose, he lifted weights and ran on the treadmill and did leg curls and practiced strikes that were generally slower, but were flowing and more fluid than the offensive attacks that Johnny taught him. His muscles were feeling sore and he wanted to pass out but he grabbed his water bottle and drank a few gulps before cracking open a chemistry text book and studying while doing his knuckle pushups, he was trying to study for the midterm exams and prepare for the Olympics, he was honored but very nervous and hopeful that he would win the gold medal. He wanted to represent team USA and Cobra Kai with pride, alongside his boyfriend. Miguel was very tired but he got back up and kept practicing for hours on end until Daniel was satisfied with the results he saw. Miguel was nervous, he had never trained under his ex's father and he wondered if Daniel still hated him for attacking Samantha while he was drunk at the party, which they both had crashed. Miguel would never forgive himself for the damage and the hurt he had caused her, he had not been raised to hurt women ever. The fact that he had hit her, it had broken a piece of his soul forever, he regretted what he had done, but what had been done, was done and she was dead and buried six feet under. That made him want to cry, but there was no time for any of that as Kreese barked at Miguel to fall in and get in his Cobra Kai training which was intense and fast paced and not for the weak willed at all. By the end of the day, Miguel was huffing and puffing from both styles of karate being trained on him, he had coaches and trainers and conditioners and dietitians and nutritionists scrutinizing everything, from his biomass to his weight, to his resting heart weight and it went on and on, technology would be strapped onto the overwhelmed young student and they fussed over his forms and his katas, they took notes of his stances and his bio rhythms and the technical jargon would get lost in Miguel's head. He was supposed to focus on victory, but he supposed that the journey to get from a UCLA medical institution for athletes to the Russian Federation Games was going to be a climb up mt. Everest in comparison to qualifying for the All Valley Under 18 category. They made him eat more proteins and less carbohydrates and simple sugars and they made him and Robby focus on their weight and cutting their weight or adding weight that was considered acceptable by trainers standards. The nine months of training were intense and difficult, Miguel had passed the exams and was offically qualified for consideration for pharmaceutical sciences and that made him so happy, he couldn't belive that all the studying he would do, despite the karate, led him all the way here, he loved Karate and he loved helping others even more. Helping others heal from what ailed them was his purpose in life. He hated it when others suffered, and he wanted to make things right for what he did, one person at a time. He had a textbook on dieting cracked open as he started eating a salad with salmon and drank a protein shake as well, he hated the flavor of the protein shakes and how flavorless they were. Robby called them "Concrete slop" behind the trainers backs and the two boys laughed and snickered and high fived each other at their inside joke and they quietly started their morning routine of lifting 100 lbs weights and running on the treadmill to focus on strengthening their hearts becuase this was the worldwide leagues and Japanese and Korean competition would be interesting considering the fact that they were the founders of Kung Fu and Karate and so many other martial arts forms. Both boys were going through a strict examination and their physical didn't just stop with their physical bodies, it included psychology tests, tests on their hearts, tests for any diseases, any disorders as well as including infectious ones as well. The qualifications were here and Keene was to qualify for the 90 kilo bracket and Miguel would qualify for the 70 kilo bracket. They need not compete against each other but there was still an air of tension as Johnny limped in on his knee and back brace with the help of Daniel and Bobby Brown. Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso had fallen severely ill and was recuperating at home from a nasty virus and was extremely tired and feeling so tired. Bobby could see that the young men had become more athletic and chiseled and shaped like Greek gods, their chests were chiseled and their veins and bones stood out against their skin and they each took down their opponents without much difficulty and they realized then, they were heading to Russia for real, there was no denying it, they were in the Olympics for real.


	3. The Arrival

Kreese, Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso, Johnny and Daniel as well as the rest of the Olympic athletes were on airplanes, whooping and cheering as they highfived and took selfies. They smiled and grinned and Kreese smirked slightly as he leaned back and adjusted his sling, his broken arm still hadn't recovered from the trauma from being crushed under multiple bodies and it still ached from time to time so he took opiates to take the edge off and closed his eyes while Johnny did paperwork and sighed and wondered how he was going to pay the hospital Bills now that he was discharged and ready to rehabilitate himself physically, he wanted to train the two competing players for the Olympics, but his body was still in no shape to be active, much less fight. His back still gave him a hard time when he stood or tried to sit down and his knee still wobbled when he took off the brace and that was concerning to Daniel. The doctors had done their best to repair the damage and there was no more they could do, they were the best surgeons Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso could find in the entire country and they had so much experience. Now it was time for them to recover and rest as best as they could. There was no time for brooding becuase Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso had been negotiating all day long and had managed to get thirty FSB agents to investigate the threats and they were working round the clock, hunting down suspected serial killers in Russia and interrogating them without mercy. The Dr. Grabbed his things and climbed down to the tarmac and stared, crowds of Russians were greeting the athletes and coaches and trainers and it was an amazing and yet overwhelming event for many young athletes who had little to no media exposure, this was their chance to boost their reputation and to become more solidified amongst the veteran athletes, the person who would carry the flag for Team USA was Kate Ledecky and she was famous for breaking records and she had won many gold medals in Brazil. Women and men cheered and whooped and took pictures of her as she stepped down from the plane and she was handed Roses and flowers and fans screamed for her autograph and for selfies. She smiled polietly and walked away and soon the rest of the athletes were lowered down on a platform and they also left as well, quickly and quietly to the Olympic Village, this year security had been amped up so much, it felt more like a military camp than a village for athletes and everyone noticed, even Ledecky seemed a bit stunned but tried to convince herself it was for the sake of national security as terror threats in Dagestan and Chechnya still existed and they were constantly hostile with the standing Russian government and their grievances were lengthy since the First Chechen war. The Soviets did nothing to apologize or help heal the wounds of the forced sterilization and the de religious attempts to make the youth atheist, and many became atheist but others remained firm in their belief despite so many religious buldings being razed and destroyed by the attempt to modernize their culture. Diaz and the others hauled their suitcases to their rooms, which were separate and they all fell asleep, jet lagged and exhausted by the amount of time they spent in a airplane and their muscles were slightly cramping since they had been stuffed in a flying steel can and Kreese hated heights so much that he closed his eyes the entire time and gripped the armrests, his memories of his time in Vietnam were flooding his mind, he could remember their blood choked screams and his helplessness as he shot at many "mooks" and blew up many Vietnamese people who were killing his buddies, it was all a mess in his mind, all of them had red blood in their arteries, they all bled and gasped and many burned and screamed, many died becuase of the booby traps and the long marches didn't help either. The lack of sleep in a way affected Kreese, he never got more than three hours worth of sleep each day, it was why he always was grouchy and pissed off at everyone who was consuming oxygen. Kreese almost had a panic attack on the plane and a Iraq war veteran who was on the plane, his name was Antonin Schaffner and the veteran understood the signs of PTSD and Kreese was clearly projecting it in a megaphone level that screamed "HELP ME! GET ME OFF THIS PLANE!" Schaffner calmed down the older man and they eventually struck up a conversation and they exchanged numbers since Schaffner was a stock broker in Wall Street and was often busy with clocking in and doing coding before going home. Kreese grinned at the younger man, they were actually getting along and he could see himself being with the Javelin and Shot Put master. Shot Put was more difficult becuase the orb was at least 50 KG and it was the diameter of a child's fist and they were extremely difficult for an ordinary person to lift. The fact that a stock Broker was able to train and practice and condition himself to lift that weight and push it forward with one hand was a amazing feat by Kreese's standards. He was impressed by the heroic feats that Schaffer had done in Iraq, especially in Irbil and in Mosul, those were places ridden with terrorists and the urban warfare was a level that even Kreese had never encountered in Vietnam, he mainly encountered jungle warfare especially in Hanoi, where the many massacres of his buddies occurred, he was barely able to save Silver's life and it was a costly decision. Kreese missed Silver and secretly pined for the man who wore ascots and ran Dyna-Tox industries, now known as Brillo-Chem industries, he liked Silver and would introduce Schaffer to Silver and have a beer or two and reminisce about the good old days.


	4. Fine Trenors

Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso lit a cigar and smoked, it was his first time smoking, but the memory of Jeff hurt too much, it hurt, thinking of how Jeff lay there, choking on his own blood and drowning in it, and Nate wasn't even there to comfort him while the forensic photographer died. It was a gulit, a regret that would weigh heavily on the mind of the doctor as he smoked and puffed and tears were tricking down his cheeks. Memories of so many solved cases and memories of times when they hung out, it all filtered through his mind and wafted into the clouds above with the diffusing smoke. His chest shook with suppressed sobs and he tried to grit his teeth to steel his emotions, to lock them away, he wad used to this with many victims, he very rarely cried on the job, the one time he did, it was for a twelve year old girl who had been strangled and murdered and she had been his first autopsy, the brutality shown to her body broke something within him, that something would never be fixed. He often felt helpless and useless, and nothing made him feel more helpless or useless than the loss of his best friend Jeff. Jeff was the yin to his yang, the day they met in middle school, Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso had been alone and scared, he was trying to hide and avoid the eighth graders who were tall monsters and they knew his fear and preyed on it by pushing him down stairs and scattering his textbooks and his paperwork and breaking his glasses, Jeff initially was one of the bullies that called him a bug eyed nerd, but Jeff eventually came around and they hung out and hammered about comics and video games and they studied and shared so many dreams and fears. Jeff Holden loved jokes, he cracked jokes and shared cat memes and the last text from Jeff before he died was "Cat you later bud." Dr.Lawrence-LaRusso swore that he would never delete his texts from Jeff, he would remember that Jeff was a good man deep inside, despite a rough start, Jeff redeemed himself more than enough and gave his life for his country, America. Jeff was six feet underground and there was nothing the Doctor could do except avenge him, to gain some sort of justice, some sort of closure for him. He didn't even notice Kreese sitting by him watching the whole painful grief process play out in front of him. Kreese was patient, Cobras were patient for prey after all and he could feel the darkness and the turmoil of the Doctor threatening to consume him and his mission to keep Keene and Diaz safe while stopping the Black Swan. Carmen was also staying in a Moscow hotel, making sure that her son was safe, she didn't want to take any chances in a foreign country where health care could be spotty at best and non existent at worst. Kreese finally broke through the Doctor's thoughts and said "I have been there, I have mourned for many comrades and it doesn't get easier or better, all we can do is keep going, keep moving and keep fighting for their sake, for their memory, becuase if we fall, who else will carry them in their memories, who will remember us after we are gone?" The Doctor absorbed the Sensei's words carefully, there was weight behind them, pain, sadness and brutality, there was so much put into those words that it made Nathaniel realize, that Kreese had more wisdom than he ever gave the veteran credit for. Nathaniel wanted to hate Kreese for causing the argument that caused the driver to be so distracted that he crashed the bus, but he couldn't, everyone had survived after all and yet, the doctor couldn't bring himself to forgive John Kreese either. He felt like he was in a dilemma in between both worlds of holding a grudge and forgiving, the doctor knew that if he held this grudge, he would not last much longer on this plane of existence. He smoked and drank, it made him dizzy and giddy with nicotine and alcohol in his system as he did his paperwork, he wondered how the hell Jeff was able to do his own paperwork when he was alive. Kreese sighed, knowing that the doctor needed someone to lean on or else he would drown himself in cigarettes and alcohol, Kreese was helpless to stop this. He knew he had his own demons to focus on for now, so he brought Daniel to work his MiYagi magic on the broken doctor, who in return shot back angrily "I'm a fucking sensei, not a godforsaken grief counselor!" Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso smirked sadly and went back to smoking in the smoking room as the athletes kept practicing and exercising for the opening ceremonies, the air was tingling with the excitement of lighting the torch, it was rumored that Diaz and Keene would both carry the torch to the person who would light the cauldron to signal the beginning of the games. Diaz felt as though he was dreaming, the chance to be in the games at such a young age? He wouldn't pass it up for anything in the world, not even to meet his own father. He wanted to win a medal and make his mom proud. He wanted to make his YaYa and his sensei Johnny proud. Even Keene wanted to win a medal of his own to make his own dreams come true, it was only this September that they had been either freaks or geeks and now here they were, they were on the edge of global prominence, they were going to be stars and that was a glorious feeling, considering where they had come from. Diaz had been teased and shamed and bullied and now, even veteran athletes wanted to shake hands with him and even athletes who couldn't speak English, they wanted to talk to him and Keene, it was an amazing change, he was in sheer disbelief at how far he had come. All he knew was to move forward.


	5. Let the games Begin!

The night of the opening ceremony for the Olympics was beautiful, colorful and dramatic. Fireworks boomed and exploded as performers and acrobats danced and twirled and sang and waved Russian flags. The Russians especially loved their culture of guns and athletics, their bodies were shapely and youthful, even the graying Olympians were graceful and still had the flexibility and the ability to be athletic at their age. Soon nations marched by, waving flags and representing their homelands with pride, people cheered and screamed when their country's athletes marched by. Women and men wore clothing that were custom designed by their national designers that were appointed to make a image of national unity in front of the world. Miguel and Keene looked up in amazement, they actually were here, they actually made it, they were athletes and they had finally accomplished the impossible by being here in the first place. Diaz waved to his mother and Keene was waving to everyone. Fans screamed and whooped and cheered and were unaware of the ferocious efforts that were being led by a FBI agent and his team of FSB agents and they were collaborating around the clock, suspects were being hunted down and interrogated, a person said that "Rook is planning an attack, not an ordinary attack, a bioterrorist attack that cannot be contained. I honestly don't know what virus or bacteria they are going to use, but it is rumored to be Ebola or Anthrax, regardless, you all are going to die." The frustrated doctor did research on many viral diseases and tried to narrow down what would be the most likely virus that would be used, he knew that viruses were more likely to be used becuase their DNA is unstable and is more suspected to mutation and there is no protein that does editing on the genes of a virus, even bacteria evolved more slowly than virus and yet it was deadly in it's own way. There was no way a soldier could stop what can be ingested or inhaled or consumed in numerous ways, they really had done it this time. The Black Swan were trying to achieve a new world order and were trying to cleanse out the old world order through violence and disease, humans, they concluded were weak in the face of true, primal fear when sickness and violence could spread everywhere. Agents ran left and right, taking notes and reading maps and opening countless books on who was a high risk terror threat and could possibly be a member of the black Swan, the suspected serial killers were immediately put on a watchlist and they were being hunted down, but even Russian police had its limits. The doctor was worried that the Black Swan were also planning on using nerve agents and those were the worst. Viruses tended to act rapidly, but with enough proactive action, lives could be saved, deaths could be prevented, that was not always the same with the usage of nerve agents such as Sarin or VX. Nerve agent VX had a histroy of being used as a form of assassinations and it gave the victim a agonizing death in the end. The power and the fear inspired by such assassinations was something to be reckoned with and the Russian President was now kicking up the investigation to now one thousand FSB agents on the case and many leads were already being generated, the attack would be at the stadium for the Karate finals and the medals would be smudged with VX and when worn, it would kill the victim in a matter of minutes. This was a complication in his plan that he never foresaw, but he had to figure out a new plan, to switch out the contaminated medals with clean medals if he could. There had to be a way and they were investigating how to stop the attack from ever happening in the first place through many debates and arguments and there were few good ideas but the Russians were creative and would figure out something in the end. As for the athletes, they were cheering and whooping as speeches were delivered and songs were sung and performances were performed. People laughed and took selfies, many women mobbed Diaz and wanted to marry the young man, except he wasn't intrested in any of them, it made Keene angry at the women when they couldn't notice how uncomfortable Diaz looked around screaming girls and how he was not prepared for worldwide attention at all, he didn't like how much he was getting so soon after the tournament and he hated how they thought he was rivals with Keene, he was dating Keene for fucks sake! He was planning to someday marry Keene when he was old enough and ready for marriage since he was too young and he was too deep in his own responsibilities to be married. He wanted the women to leave him alone so he could do his press confrence and go to sleep, if it was even possible with all the anxiety coiled up in his stomach, ready to burst at the seams of his skin. He wanted to relax far, far away from all the fear of scrutiny and he quickly ran from the women and hid in a closet as they screamed and ran by the closet and he came right back out, and he suddenly realized he was covered in a rainbow gooey substance. Ironic, he bitterly thought, he was openly gay to his family but he was closeted in terms of P.R and it was beginning to weigh a heavy toll on him as people began to speculate about him being single, divorced or dating. He wanted to scream "HEY, LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M NOT MARRIED! I'M TOO YOUNG TO GET MARRIED!" He grunted and walked off, and found a towel and only managed to smudge the Rainbow substance onto his jacket and pants and shirt and soon he gave up, and when Keene saw him, Keene just laughed and they kissed and unbeknownst to them, a fan photographed the event and that was the end of the women flirting with him.


	6. I did everything right, he died anyway!

The smoking doctor drank and smoked, his clothes were smelling like smoke, tears streaked down his face and the memories, they crushed his soul. All of it. His packet of cigars was suddenly gone when Johnny swiped them from his hand and said "It isn't your fault, you did all you could. You need to stop moping." The angry doctor stood up and yelled "I did everything right, by the book, he died anyway! HOW THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!" And he fell to his knees and screamed "I FUCKING LOVED JEFF HOLDEN! JEFF WAS MY BEST FRIEND AND I FUCKING COULDN'T TELL HIM THAT I LOVED HIM!" His chest heaved with sobs and his breath was hitching as he gripped the ground in his mini-breakdown. His heart was truly broken and would never be put together again. He cried "Jeff made me feel so special and valued and wanted, he was so kind and sweet and loving! I wanted to be the one that could confess to him! I wanted to confess to him after I finished this case! I wanted to marry him! I wanted to make him feel special!" And Johnny simply pulled him close and let the doctor weep and weep and scream for the fallen agent. Johnny didn't know how to heal his cousin, but he would do it, he wanted his cousin to be able to function while on duty, he knew that if Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso lost his objectivity, the mission could be compromised and lives could be lost in the process, and the karate master gripped the doctor's shoulder and said "You need to stay strong, please stay strong. Our lives, my life, my son's life is in your hands, don't make me regret trusting you. You may have lost Jeff, I can tell he meant so much to you, that his death would be as devastating as well...but he is never truly dead, he is in you, as long as you keep fighting like a badass, you always carry the memories of those you have lost, they are deep within you." The words were slightly comforting and yet, they were filled with a sort of hope and strength, that things will get better, that the doctor had to keep going, to keep fighting despite all the pain, that there always was hope that there would be better things waiting in the future. Johnny continued "I understand that it will take time to heal and that is ok, take your time to heal, no one is forcing you to heal faster, you made those memories with Jeff and they will always be with you." Both cousins just stared as the sun rose and it was the preliminary qualification rounds in Karate and Group A was first and that meant Team USA would be in the third day of the qualifying round, they had plenty of time to burn to go around the city, but instead, Diaz and Keene were stretching their muscles and keeping themselves fit. They wanted to stay supple and strong becuase they knew that a moment inactive meant a moment for their muscles to atrophy. Niether of them wanted to lose, they wanted to win the gold medal and get some fame and money, even though the vast majority of the money would go towards back taxes. They loved the thrill of the victory and how the cheering was for them, they loved the feeling of being admired and supported my many fans, though they wanted the screaming ones a bit further away. Both of them trained and were conditioned and their diets were tailored to the desired bodies that the trainers wanted for them. So much science in so much calories, Diaz was suprised by all this effort that was being put into making sure he was eating right and properly, he had been unable to eat properly since anxiety tended to rear its head before competition and that would cause his appetite to vanish, just when he needed to eat a proper meal. He hated this feeling of anxiety, and the fact that his life was at stake in this competition was a terrifying thought and he hated it, sometimes Robby had to force feed the younger man in order to make sure he was even able to remotely function for the day. Keene and Diaz trusted each other so much with everything, Diaz was convinced that Robby was his soulmate, he knew how to help him heal and fight back, it was cliche in a way, love at first strike and it was cute to see the young men explore Moscow and buy souvenirs that they would later have buyer's remorse about, but they loved taking selfies at the Kremlin, the statues, the folk art and even the magic shows and theaters and music was beautiful and an opera made Diaz cry. He wanted to understand the words, but he could feel the women's pain as she was forced to marry a man that she didn't love and her family didn't want her to be with a poor shepherd that was kind and honorable, unlike the wealthy nobleman who was uncouth and was a backstabber, it was heartbreaking to see the woman marry the nobleman and the play ended just at the wedding scene and it left them with a sense of rapture and respect for Russian culture, Diaz snuck away from Robby and purchased a gold wedding band and it was a beautiful one, but very inexpensive and he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to buy such a ring, he planned to propose to Keene very soon, win or lose, after the karate tournament, he wanted to be with the man he loved for the rest of his life, he would not be afraid to show how much he loved his boyfriend, even in this homophobic society and he was damned to let such a beautiful opportunity to slide past.


	7. The dreams, they die.

The preliminary round for team USA and people were waving colorful flags and face painted themselves and wore costumes that reflected their national allegiance. Andrè Vasquez from Rosario, Argentina. He was tanned and tall, his black hair was tied back and slicked and gelled down until it obeyed his will and he was in a sky blue and white gi and a black belt that was wrapped around his waist, Andrè was a nasty machine and loved Tang Soo Do. He was fierce and he towered above Keene, and was 28 years old, in comparison to a youthful Keene, no matter, LaRusso encouraged him to stay calm and breathe and remember his excercises. Keene quickly calmed down and was able to beat the Argentine and move to the next round which was round two of the preliminary rounds. Abdul Nassim of Egypt was next and he was much tougher and stronger than the Argentine, but he was much slower and had less agility, but he was as equally powerful and Keene was forced into defense and had to block many strikes before he was able to land any of his own. Lawrence was busy coaching Diaz who had beaten a Cuban and now was fighting against Trinidad and Tobago. The man from Trinidad was also much older and experienced, but did not have the state of the art training of LaRusso and Lawrence, who managed to finally bury the hatchet once and for all in terms of the karate rivalry forever. Both coaches screamed and gnashed their teeth in anxiety as they watched their proteges suffer injuries and bounce right back up. Lawrence knew at some point, one of them wouldn't get back up and would need medical assistance. Miguel began to limp at the third round after he had defeated a Togolese man in overtime with only a few seconds remaining and soon the doctors and trainers swarmed the whimpering young man and gave him all sorts of medication that they were allowed to use. The pain wouldn't go away so a therapist massaged his leg and ordered him off the leg, he was nervous and hoped he would do well in the elimination rounds, things were starting to heat up and bets were being placed on Miguel as the champion, people were loud and rowdy, they enjoyed the spectacular show of the two rising stars of the west, as the media called Miguel and Robby. Meanwhile, in the cavernous depths of the archives of the Kremlin, where records were kept and stacks of papers were filed away in cabinets, waiting to rot away, Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso was riffing through the files, trying to search for answers for the cures for many of the diseases that another serial killer had confessed to being used. Time was ticking and his heart was racing, it was him against that godforsaken clock, he tipped up his glasses and dripped eye drops in his eyes and blinked twice, his vision was a bit blurry at times during nighttime and it interfered with his ability to drive at night, the doctor brushed his mixture of grey, white and blonde hair aside and sighed. He hated this sort of pressure that he was placing on himself, he had really done it this time, he really screwed himself over by volunteering himself for the cold case and for agreeing to the bet. He remembered that night, it was a rowdy and drunk night after they had cracked a case and had arrested a perp for kidnapping two children, both had been recovered safely, it was a rare thing for happy endings like this to happen and at times like this, they just had to let loose after a stressful case. That night he drank one too many martinis and he bragged that he could crack a cold case that was at least twenty years old, he had seven hundred dollars staked in his name and he was sure he staked his apartment as well. He was so drunk that he signed the contract and when he woke up the next day, Jeff was simply shocked and said "Bud...you just outdid me in the worst bets I have ever made in my entire life...you fucking agreed to take on a cold case with twenty five victims at least! You are fucking stupid you know! One of these days, your bets are going to get one of us killed, I swear to god!" Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso sighed and brushed away tears that threatened to spill over the edge of his eyes and blinked them away, he couldn't afford to damage the archives information as it was very very rare and hard to get your hands on, only the esteemed researchers were able to get access to the Kremlin's archives and he was only allowed becuase he was taking on a case that was affecting them and their national security. Russians were strict as hell and were intimidating. Even Kreese admitted "These people are actually real scary." Kreese yawned in boredom and tried to open a book and help, but when he did, he found the script was in Cyrillic. The doctor was fucking reading Cyrillic books! How the fuck was this all-American bred and born doctor was fucking reading in Cyrillic? It puzzled the veteran and he groaned and placed his chin on the palm of his hand and drummed his fingers on the table top as the doctor. The doctor suddenly gasped and rapidly took notes of what he needed and burst out saying "I have an idea, its...risky for me, but I will do anything to protect all those I care about. I think the compound of the Black Swan will be in an area where we least expect it..." As soon as they turned around, they saw black masked men, with a Black Swan logo standing out against the white background on a shield. They were trapped, and they were doomed. Only one of them was going to emerge from this alive.


	8. Brave souls and deep graves

The diamond is composed of carbonite, it is composed under high amounts of pressure and is hardened to the point that it is unbreakable under any sort of pressure. Only heat and pressure can destroy a diamond. The heat and pressure leaking from the pipes was causing the two men that were hog tied up deep in the Kremlin. The doctor and the Vietnam vet were both gasping for air, it felt as though the oxygen was being sucked from the air. Their heads were beginning to feel lightheaded and death was hovering over their heads, hungry for their souls. Kreese had spent the past half hour screaming for help that would never arrive. He was chained tightly around a pipe, while the doctor was trying to pluck his scalpel from his coat. No criminal should ever leave a doctor with a scalpel ever, it is a classic mistake that no serial killer should ever make if they want their plans to succeed. Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso's head was pounding and Kreese was panicking, he could feel the heat of the jungles of Vietnam pressing on his skin, the heat and the steam didn't help at all. What made it worse was that his and the doctor's life were in danger and they had only so much time before the bomb exploded. The doctor's shoulder was exploding in pain and his delicate stable hands were now shaking wildly from the aftereffects of the concussion, he was struggling to breathe and the sensei was baking in his black gi, it had to be at least a hundred degrees in the generator room. The doctor managed to unlock his cuffs and leg irons before unlocking Kreese and they began to sneak out slowly, they had to be careful and quick. Lives were at stake, their lives were at stake, they had to protect the VDV, the OMON, the Spetsnaz soldiers that could die in here. The doctor was working quickly to disarm the bomb, he had never worked with bombs and he was scared, he was going to get killed if he didn't run! The president was in danger, so was his family, Nathaniel would try and disarm the bomb, even if it meant his life. He turned around, his face and neck glossed with sweat and his body was trembling slightly and he said "Kreese, go, I have to disarm this bomb. Whatever you do, don't look back. Whatever you do, run for your life." Kreese could only stare, he only stared at the doctor, he couldn't belive that the thirty five year old doctor who was in their prime, was giving their life for him...he was stunned by this act of heroism. It was a brave and foolish sacrifice and yet it was a act of bravery in the face of death, they didn't have time to argue as the gunshots came closer and the doctor yelled "GO! GO! GO!" Kreese grabbed the doctor's Sig Sauer from his side holster and fired and killed the Black Swan one by one. The bomb had been disarmed by that time and they were climbing down the ladder, into the belly of the beast and the doctor as well as Kreese were wearing bulletproof jackets as bullets flew around them, Kreese could feel himself transported right back to Vietnam, the sounds of dying and shouting and the popping of machine guns, the feeling of the intense heat of the generator room, the humidity of the steam, the echoing of footsteps and the traps that were inlaid into each step that he took. Kreese could feel his body coat with a thick layer of sweat and he tried wiping it off with his arm, but it was of no good, his body kept sweating like a pig from stress, anxiety and heat. Bullets were fired left and right, many of the enemy fell to the ground, he could smell the iron in the air...the smell of blood, staining the ground forever, he could smell the smell of death, it clung onto him, Kreese could feel his throat tighten and he felt panic bubbling to the surface. Kreese was barely sane, the doctor was trying to calm him down, but it wasn't helping, the memories were horrific and they were strangling him like a Boa Constrictor, constricting around his airway, he could feel his lungs struggling to take in oxygen, there was an overwhelming sense of lightness, a feeling of...lightheaded and Kreese passed out from his panic attack. The Doctor was shocked, but calm. He had to remain calm and protect the unconscious man with all he had, gunshots were ringing everywhere and his headaches were getting worse each breath he took, but he wouldn't let himself slip into the unconsciousness, he promised himself he would protect Kreese with all his life, even if he had to die. Dr. Lawrence-LaRusso swept left and right and handcuffed many suspects and shot many others who tried to engage him and stabbed others who tried to tackle and kill him. He suddenly saw the leader who had a mask of a black Swan on and he ran and tackled and handcuffed the leader to a pole. He felt a few bullets rip into his kidney and his side exploded in pain as blood spurted from his abdomen and he was coughing out blobs of blood and passed out as Kreese screamed. Kreese did several furious and blazing attacks and swept the leg of the perp and handcuffed him. He was breathing heavily as he saw the doctor lay crumpled and lifeless and his blood was pooling around him. Kreese grabbed the med kid and started to patch up the wounded doctor and try and stop the bleeding, he found the cellphone near the doctor and picked it up, Lawrence and LaRusso were blowing up his phone with texts and and they were concerened, the doctor's phone was password protected and he cursed and swore, he screamed for medics and they came over to strap the doctor onto the headboard and they loaded him onto the ambulance.


	9. The lights, they shine high and bright

The bright white lights, they shine so bright, and so white. They are brilliant like diamonds, like shattered diamonds refracting light and bathing over my bloodied, pierced body, I see a masked man, he wears a white gown, holding my scalpel above me, and my vision fades once more. I'm trying to wake up but it doesn't work, I'm stuck on the bus again, the lights again, they pass by me, I want to scream at the bus driver to stop, to let me off. But my throat isn't working, I'm fucking stuck, glued to the soft chair, I'm trying to scream, but my vocal cords have something stuffed in them...I realize that I'm under some sort of medical induced coma, perhaps barbiturates. I gulp as the driver comes over and demand my fare...I am searching and searching my pocket for change, anything to try and explain myself. I'm lost and scared, this is the first time that this has ever happened. The bus driver kicks me out and I'm on the bare white ground, it's all fucking white around me, I can see purity, all of it is purity. A woman helps me up and a lump forms in my throat...it's my parents. I want to cry when I see them, they have literally stayed the same since the day they died, they are youthful and still dressed in their funeral clothes that I gave the funeral home to dress them in. A lump grows in my throat and I sob. The sobbing grows bigger and louder and my parents embrace me before soothing and shushing me. Like as if any of this will ever be ok, like the fact that I will ever completely heal over the fact that they are gone forever and ever. It hurts so much, I have a million things to say to them and none of the words are willing to come out of my throat. I choke out "Oh mama...oh papa, I've...I've missed you so much, you both were all I had." And I break down sobbing so much, I cry out tears of sadness and joy, I see them here, but once I leave, they aren't there with me in the living world. My mama hugs me and all I do is hug her so tightly, it's like as if I'll break her ribs from my strength and grief. I say "Mom...I was in love with Jeff, he was the bully that saved me in the end. I wanted to ask him out one day, I never had that chance." I am a doctor but I am weeping like a scolded child in front of my mom as I out myself and she smiles, it's like she knew this part of me, even my father was smiling and they are hugging me. It makes me want to cry so much, that they were accepting of me this whole time and my mama replied "I am incredibly proud of you, whatever you become, whoever you love, I want you to be happy and right now, you are not happy, I can feel pain in your heart, I can feel passion in your heart and yet, you are not doing what makes you happy, you are doing what fills your bank account. I didn't teach you to fill a bank account, I taught you to fill your heart." I feel so ashamed of myself, like she was dissing me completely for what I had done to uphold the Lawrence-LaRusso family name. My father added "You made us proud son, you made me truly proud for all the sacrifices, all the acts of heroism, all the times you gave up sleep for all of your country, to keep them all safe, and I thank you for that." He stiffened and saluted me, he performed the about-face and left, I cried as my mama did the same as well and was gone too, they both faded into the haze and another man walked right through and I hugged Jeff, and I kissed him and he kissed me without abandon, I could feel his warm lips on mine and I could feel my fleshy tounge dance with his as strings of saliva mixed and I stared into his eyes and I was so breathless, I could feel my heart beating rapidly and I could hear someone screaming for me to stay, I could feel electricity being pressed down into my chest. I could feel someone's desperation in trying to save me...I was here I really wanted to stay, but was I really needed here? I was in love with Jeff Holden so much, I tore off his clothes and he tore off mine and we kept making out for a long time, I could feel myself growing hard and he laughed and said "Looks like you really had some sexual tension to work out huh? It's like the two characters that were once rivals...finally came together." And like that, we are furiously making love, it's like an eternity before we part and I see another one of my cousins, his name was Louie and he looked disease ridden and he was riding the bus towards the afterlife. He apparently had caught the smallpox and it had killed him, I felt bad for him, he died an agonizing death and no person deserved to die from smallpox. I saw his soul crying in pain and sadness and I empathized with him...He died alone in Russia and nobody except Daniel and his mother Lucille would mourn that man, if I didn't survive these gunshot wounds at all. Jeff handed me a dollar and fifty cents and said "This is enough for a one way trip either way, but please, choose wisely as you won't come back if you choose to die. Please, go back...go back to your cousins, go back to them, you are their glue that keeps their family intact, they need you, and for fucks sake, have a goddamn kid...you need someone to carry on your name." The bus rolled in, I inserted my fare and made my decision and went with it.


	10. The great cost of Victory

The doctor opened his eyes and his head was pounding, his torso felt like it was in fire, like they had forgotten his morphine while he was asleep. His body felt like it was burning all over, he wanted to scream, to shout, but his tube was still in his throat and his vocal cords were forced apart, so they wouldn't be able to operate at all. As for Kreese, he was relatively unharmed except for some bruises on his arms and hands which needed ice and hot alternating compresses and he would be right as rain and back to doing kiaykis in no time. Meanwhile, at the stage in St. Petersburg, the finals were beginning and Diaz was heavily injured, he was limping on his right leg and his eye was bleeding slightly and his gi was turning pink and red hues with his blood, the innocence and the purity of the white gi was gone forever. There was only so much you could erase, only so much you could heal, but there would always be an impact that could never be repaired or erased. Diaz was about to battle a South Korean by the name of Soo Ying and he was a ferocious rising dragon. He represented the elite Soo Ying dojo that was powerful and had many prizes from around the world, especially in the Commonwealth games. The South Korean's coach was icy calm and intimidating, his stare could freeze the blood in any breathing human being, they said he was once a shaolin monk who left the monastery and combined his arts with that of the Tang Soo Yin combat arts, they all speculated that the coach was even from the S.O.E elite forces, he was able to teach his students to endure hazardous conditions and activities that even Lawrence wouldn't normally use on his students. This coach made Kreese seem cutesy in comarpsion. He barked and shouted and yelled and criticized, it was frightening and yet it was a admirable experience to see in person. One hates to admit it, but they enjoy the sight of their rivals getting verbally shellacked and it is like a theater to see the person at the recieving end of the yelling become very demoralized. The bell rang and the entourage held up the signs indicating the nationality of the person they were announcing and people were screaming and shouting to the point that the roof was vibrating slightly. Robby felt anxious around noise, noise made him tense up, it reminded him of the days when his father and his mother used to yell and fight and argue and curse each other out, they very rarely agreed or compromised at all. Robby could remember his father drinking and drinking while his mother brought home men and slept with them while his father who was heartbroken, become very demoralized and distant very quickly. He hated his father for not sticking up and stopping his drinking, he hated his mother for being a whore. He hated his life and wondered why hadn't he taken his own life, he wanted to wash down his father's anti depressants with alcohol, but Robby felt like a coward when he drank a sip of Johnny's beer while the man wasn't looking. LaRusso suddenly broke through his thoughts and reminded him to relax and to breathe in and out, in and out, and soon the noise faded into the background and he was back at the forest near the lake, he was calm and alone. He could feel the petals dance around him and scrape against his skin gently as he trained and sparred and exercised, it made him forget the pain of his past and want to move on, but he felt like he couldn't, as long as his mom was in his life, he couldn't move on. He hated himself for the turmoil, so he stood up and found Diaz tying up his belt and finished the knot for him. Sometimes his boyfriend Miguel was a better source of comfort than LaRusso. Both of the boys just sat there, no words needed to be expressed at that time as they held hands and they kissed gently and it was chaste. Diaz and Robby were giggling and blushing furiously, Lawrence yelled out "Hey! Your matches are bout to start! Don't wanna be late lovebirds!" LaRusso snickered slightly and shot back snidely "Very funny Lawrence, let them have this moment." Johnny rolled his eyes and said "All the best to you Robby, don't get hurt..." And he stood in front of his son and his breath was caught in his throat. The baby he never saw born, was now an unbowed, strong young man, ready to take on the previous champion, a Chinese man. Lawrence could feel tears of pride, joy, and regret fill his eyes, but now was not the time as he added "Be safe son...I love you son." And Robby hugged him, and he hugged back. Robby was now eighteen, ready to get married and have a job, get his own house and car and go to college and file his own taxes and adopt kids someday in the future. It was so insane, Robby had grown and evolved and was ready to leave for the University of Miami, for majoring in Trauma Psychology. Robby wanted to help society heal and become strong and whole again. He wanted to prevent situations like his from happening at the frequency it was occuring at. Robby was graduating and so was Diaz, they were no longer kids and that made Johnny hurt a bit inside. But now was not the reflection of such pasts, one must move on and move forward, lest their demons consume them with full force. Robby entered the stage first and he and the Chinese bowed to the referee and to each other, and they were battling and did so many kicks and punches, it was a flurry of a battle of wills and it eventually turned out that Robby won, Robby was the gold medal champion and he was crying in tears of joy, he was a champion of the 80 kg bracket and he was their champion and he was representing team USA! He leapt with joy and waved the stars and stripes as the medals were checked and double checked for any viruses, bacteria or chemicals or nerve agents that could be smeared on the medal. Diaz had more difficulty with his opponent and Lawrence insisted on him resting, he was concerned that something was wrong and he shouted for the medic who said Diaz was fine, but he didn't trust the doctor, he decided to pull out Diaz so he went to find the official of the match, but Diaz snuck away onto the mat and when he crossed the border line of the mat, Lawrence was helpless to stop the match, not unless he wanted to suffer any consequences for team USA. Diaz was able to defeat the South Korean and both Americans stood on their podiums holding their gold medals proudly and smiled for photos as the clicking of the cameras commenced. The anthem blared and confetti flew and people sang and danced as Diaz was hauled away by a pissed off Lawrence who chided him "When I say you stay seated on the bench, you stay seated there, how hard is that to follow?" Diaz slurred his apologies as a team physician took care of him and cared for his concussion and Diaz mumbled "Robby, please marry me." And Lawrence could tell his son felt the same way about Diaz as well.


End file.
